FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Did you know that a large amount of the stories you read about your friends and family that serve in Pennsylvania are produced by a small unit of 20 soldiers?

The 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment is a Pennsylvania National Guard unit designed to support the Army’s public affairs mission. According to Field Manual 3-61, Communication Strategy and Public Affairs Operations, the Army’s public affairs mission is to keep the American people informed to boost the public’s confidence in the Army. While units at the division level and higher have assigned public affairs officers, an MPAD helps accomplish their objectives.

Each MPAD aims to follow the Army mission while highlighting its command’s role.

“Our mission is to provide transparency to the general public, and we do that through publicizing our activities as well as advising commanders and other PAOs on public implications of their operations,” said Maj. Travis Mueller, commander of the 109th MPAD.

Mueller says it is important to create partnerships and work with other units inside and outside of the chain of command. Cultivating these working relationships allows MPADs to project stories of soldiers or units that may not have been recognized before.

“We are able to nest within missions going on in other units and we are there to make sure that their themes and key messages are getting out,” said Capt. Leanne Demboski, a public affairs officer with the 109th MPAD.

The MPAD is a unique Army unit, and its small size allows soldiers of different ranks and experience levels to interact with and learn from each other.

“We’re very creative and we build on each other. We provide each other with what we need to get the job done,” explained Spc. Annie Riley, a public affairs specialist with the 109th MPAD.

Various members of the unit come from non-public affairs backgrounds, citing the opportunities afforded to public affairs personnel. The unit members use words like rewarding, meaningful and exciting to describe how they feel about their roles and the work they produce.

The 109th MPAD tells the Army’s story from the viewpoint of one of the largest and most deployed state National Guards in the nation.

“You get to tell good stories because you get to see and hear good stories,” said Mueller. “Being able to amplify that through the news media and the journalism products we put together is very fulfilling.”